Getting a Breath of the Wild
by MasterOfDimentions
Summary: This story takes place a little while after Link wakes up in the Shrine of Resurrection and is given the task of rescuing Zelda and defeating Calamity Ganon. He runs into a bit of trouble along the way and meets new people, but not all stories have happy endings.


Link..."

"Link..."

"LI-"

Link woke up gasping, recognizing the feminine voice in his head was none other than Princess Zelda. He looked around frantically, wearing a startled expression on his face.

Zelda... her power must be weakening, he thought.

It had been one month since he had risen from his 100 year slumber, and one month since he visited Impa, the now elderly woman who informed Link of what had happened to him and the once beautiful kingdom of Hyrule. Calamity Ganon had been contained beneath Hyrule Castle, but he finally escaped. Zelda, along with the other five champions Daruk, Mipha, Urbosa, and Revali, had spent countless days been preparing for Ganon's wrath, but they were no match for his malicious power. The other champions lost their lives in the fight. Link, however, had near fatal injuries. Zelda had brought him to the Shrine of Resurrection, where he slept for 100 years. She then returned back to the castle, using her special power to hold Ganon's power back as long as she could. Now, it's Link's responsibility to save her and defeat Ganon. For good.

He sat up and rested his back upon nearby tree, letting out a deep sigh. He had taken solace in the forest, which was a rather reoccurring habit he developed when he was just a child, after barely escaping an ambush of bokoblins. The ugly little beasts attacked from all directions, dashing straight towards him while allowing hardly any time to prepare. Arrows tainted with either electricity or bombs were released in his direction, and some with bats and spears popped out from behind rocks, trees, and bushes. The bats left blue-purple bruises on his arms and upper torso and the spears scratched parts of his legs and chest. Arrows sliced through his clothing and skin like butter, leaving deep gashes and cuts that he bandaged once he was able to rest. A bit of good food and elixirs would help in no time.

Shutting his eyes, he let himself be absorbed in his surroundings. It had rained that morning and he could smell the earthy scent of the damp soil of the forest around him. A cool breeze brushed past, rustling the leaves of surrounding trees. Link cracked a small smile as he felt his soft, blonde hair tickle his cheek. He opened his eyes once more and watched as a herd of deer sprinting ahead of him, leaving many perfectly formed prints in the soil. Crickets were chirping loudly and bright, luminescent green fireflies floated carelessly through the air. Link stared up to the darkened sky. An alarmed expression took place of the once calm, stoic expression he usually wore. The sky took on an eerie shade of crimson red. Small, pink, ash-like particles began to flutter by, soon surrounding the air around him.

The blood moon..., he thought, I need to be careful.

Link stood, taking a moment to stretch his limbs, and jogged towards the end of the forest. The blood moon is a mesmerizing experience for most, but is truly a curse for Link. All of the monsters he's defeated in the past would come back to life. He could hear the faint snorts and shuffling of footsteps from the bokoblins that previously ambushed him. Link quickened his pace as some stalkoblins rose from the soil and began firing arrows toward him, which he easily dodged thanks to their terrible aim. After a bit of running he came upon a vast, grassy field and paused in between two trees to observe the new environment. He slowly stepped out into the open, breathing silently as he shuffled through the grass.

Sitting proudly in the distance was Hyrule castle, surrounded by ruins, guardians, and Calamity Ganon himself. He flew around the outside of the castle in a seemingly endless cycle, littering the ground below him with his malice, a darkish purple substance that could kill anyone if touched. The inside of the castle was littered with rubble, monsters, weapons and chests of valuable items. Link went in there once while he was too unprepared and was nearly killed. He promised himself he'd only go back to scavenge for items once he felt stronger.

Link made a silent prayer to the Goddess Hylia, asking her to watch over Zelda and keep her safe. He opened his eyes and continued to stroll through the seemingly calm, uninhabited field.

Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of turning gears and metal clanging together. An anxiety inducing tune began to play, becoming increasingly louder as a guardian, an ancient machine Zelda helped build to defend the kingdom of Hyrule, quickly crept towards Link.

_Crap_, Link thought as he turned in the opposite direction of the guardian. He started running through the grass as fast as he possibly could.

The guardian was missing a leg but it moved just as fast on its remaining five. Its naturally blue pattern had flickered into a vibrant pink, and aimed a red target directly at Link's back. The beeping echoed, becoming louder and faster until a blue laser formed in the guardian's eye. It released itself with a final loud beep, and sped right past Link, singeing the sleeve of his shirt and nearly burnt his arm. He winced slightly. The guardian quickened it's pace while charging up another attack. Link was still caught off guard by the first attack and had no time to prepare. The guardian released its laser, hitting Link in the back and launching him a few feet away. Everything became dark.

He opened his eyes a few brief moments later. He felt excessively hot and his vision was blurred, but he could see that the grass around him was burnt to a crisp. The same went for his clothing. There were small flames still visible around him, and once the ringing in his ears stopped, he could still hear the beeping of the guardian nearby. He rolled over onto his back and could see the cursed machine looming over him. It's head was spinning, trying to spot Link among the mess it created. Once it decided to move on, it's pink streaks turned back to its neutral blue and walked off.

Link pulled out and drank a fairy tonic he had been saving, then took out a shield, a bow, and some ancient arrows while the magical drink healed his body. He fired one arrow at the machine, and as it spun around it shot a laser at almost lightning speed in Link's direction. Link held up she shield, and at the right moment he swung his arm out, deflecting the beam back at the guardian. It became stunned and it's head was turning back and forth, which gave him time to properly aim an arrow directly at its eye. The arrow hit, and the guardian exploded.

He was panting heavily and sat on the ground, using the pile of rubble for support. He brought his knees to his chest and buried his face in his arms. His body was shivering, both from the cool night air, and the shock from the battle.

"You still alive?" a traveler called out.

Link perked up at the voice and raised his head, locking eyes with the man approaching him. The traveler smiled and offered his hand, "That was a pretty interesting battle to watch. Where'd you learn to fight like that?" he said as he helped Link to his feet.

He remained silent.

"Alright, alright, don't talk too much now," he giggled," you should change your clothes too, the ones you have on look pretty beat up and it's gonna rain soon."

Link looked himself up and down, then signaled with his finger that he wanted the traveler to turn around. He changed into some white Hylian trousers, knee high boots, and a white matching tunic. He began to walk back to where he was sitting before the traveler spoke to him once more.

"Where are you goin'? You're hurt and you need a proper place to rest. There's a stable not too far from here. We can make it just before sunrise if we leave now."

Link pondered for a moment whether or not he should trust this man. He's spoken to travelers in the past who seemed innocent enough but were just ticked off members of the Yiga Clan, a group of thieves whose leader was defeated by none other than Link himself. After all this time, they're still out trying to kill him.

He decided to walk with the traveler, walking a safe distance beside him and kept his guard up. They walked for maybe 15 minutes before the traveler spoke up,"You're really good at fighting! Those types of skills are needed, especially in these times, y'know?"

He looked at Link, who gave him a wary glance. He continued, "I have some friends who might be interested in you...," Link froze, preparing to draw his sword. The traveler looked behind him and noticed the warning look in Link's eyes. He paused, putting his hands up to show he wasn't planning anything.

"Trust issues, hm?" he asked.

Link only looked at him, his hand still ready to draw out his sword.

"I take it you've encountered people like me, just travelers out and about. But i'm guessing they haven't been very nice to you, I can tell," he paused, observing Link once more, "Look, I'm sorry these times haven't been very kind to you, and I understand having to watch my back all of the time. But not everyone is out to get you. There's plenty of kind people around, it just takes time to find them." He flashed a smile.

Link took his hand down from his sword, dropping his arm to his side and sighed. His facial expression returned back to its usual calm, stoic state. The traveler beckoned Link to his side and they continued walking, "My name's Kazul, by the way."

Soon enough, the two finally arrived at the Riverside stable. They jogged inside as the stun began to rise, and the rain began to fall. Inside the stable, there were 4 beds lined against the wall. To the right, there was a broom, a rack of horse saddles, a poster with a food recipe, a wooden table with 2 stools, an open journal, and a nice tea set. Sitting on a thin rug beside the last bed was a rather scrawny, unintimidating man carrying a bag 4 times his size.

Kazul led Link to the stable manager, Ember, and each paid 40 rupees for a soft bed. They both awoke around noon and prepared a quick meal outside. Looking up from his food, Kazul could see Link's eagerness to leave. He spotted a spark of determination and longing in his eyes.

"You're on some type of mission, hm? Well, I can tell it's important. I won't hold you up, but hold on a sec," he walked outside and approached the stable manager. He called for Link a few minutes later, and when he came out, there was a large, blue coated horse with a silver mane waiting. "He's mine, but I think you'll need him more than I do. See you around!" He waved and Link gave a small smile before hopping onto the horse. He stroked its neck, and with a tap of his heel, he and the horse were off. Link looked back, watching Kazul return to the stable.

The road had been unforgiving in the next few months. He'd been working harder than he had before, using up most of his strength, stamina, and supplies fending of monsters, rescuing the Divine Beasts, helping travelers along his journey, and having to deal with the Yiga Clan. Again. The horse Kazul had given him had been killed in battle. Link was alone again.

_"With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it's necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden."_

And that's what he did.

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This was a short story I wrote for an english assignment. I'm trying to get back into writing, and maybe I'll add more chapters. I would appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism to help me improve my work! 

Thank you for reading :))


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